Minnesota Vikings General Manager Interviews

Last week, the Minnesota Vikings crafted an 8-person candidate list for their general manager position. 

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Cleveland Browns President of Football Operations

Glenn Cook, Cleveland Browns Vice President of Player Personnel

Eliot Wolf, New England Patriots Player Personnel Consultant

John Spytek, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vice President of Player Personnel

Brandon Brown, Philadelphia Eagles Director of Player Personnel

Ryan Poles, Kansas City Chiefs Director of Player Personnel

Catherine Raiche, Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Football Operations

Monti Ossenfort, Tennessee Titans Director of Player Personnel

This week, the Vikings started interviewing those candidates. 

Sunday: 

Monti Ossenfort

Monday: 

John Spytek

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Catherine Raiche

Today:

Ryan Poles

Brandon Brown

Thursday:

Glenn Cook

Eliot Wolf

It looks like Wednesday is something of a recovery day. 

Most of the top general manager candidates for a particular team work in relative anonymity for those fans and media that follow other teams. It’s tough to know of, let alone know about, many of the candidates. Of the eight candidates for the Vikings general manager job, I was only familiar with Monti Ossenfort and Eliot Wolf before this search started. I caught mentions of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah over the years. He was the “analytics guy” for the San Francisco 49ers and then the Cleveland Browns. As I learned more about the candidates, I became impressed with the wide net that the Vikings search group cast. The only candidate that made me a little uneasy was Adofo-Mensah. I’m among the shrinking number of people that isn’t completely sold on analytics as the primary avenue to building a football team. I get that analytics has a place in football and a place in personnel decisions. I just prefer football-lifers that have risen through the scouting ranks as general managers. I became much more comfortable with Adofo-Mensah when I saw this tweet from ESPN Draft Analyst Jordan Reid.

Being out on the road and all-star game circuit over the past month, so many scouts have talked highly of Kwesi. We’ll see which team he ends up with, but it seems to be a matter of when not it with him. 

I’ve always liked Reid’s draft takes and football opinions. If football scouts are high Adofo-Mensah, I see no reason why I should be uneasy about him calling the shots for the Vikings. They know him. I don’t. 

With a revised opinion on Adofo-Mensah, I suppose that he joins Monti Ossenfort, Ryan Poles, and Glenn Cook as my favorites to be the next general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Flea Flicker 2021 NFL Honors

It’s time for some awards. The real NFL Honors will be handed out the week of the Super Bowl. Here are  the Flea Flicker 2021 NFL Honors.

MVP

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Offensive Player of the Year

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Defensive Player of the Year

T.J. Watt, Edge, Pittsburgh Steelers

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Comeback Player of the Year

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Coach of the Year

Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans

Minnesota Vikings General Manager and Head Coach Candidates

The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their search for a new general manager on Monday. The search party is made up of owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, COO Andrew Miller, and player personnel executives. Some candidate names started to emerge Wednesday evening by way of reported interview requests. I like the diverse net that the Vikings have cast. The current general manager list has eight candidates. 

The General Manager Candidates

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Cleveland Browns President of Football Operations

Glenn Cook, Cleveland Browns Vice President of Player Personnel

Eliot Wolf, New England Patriots Player Personnel Consultant

John Spytek, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vice President of Player Personnel

Brandon Brown, Philadelphia Eagles Director of Player Personnel

Ryan Poles, Kansas City Chiefs Director of Player Personnel

Catherine Raiche, Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Football Operations

Monti Ossenfort, Tennessee Titans Director of Player Personnel

Three GM interviews have reportedly been scheduled:

Today: Monti Ossenfort

Monday: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Tuesday: Ryan Poles

For whatever reason, my preference for the Vikings next general manager seems to drift toward Ryan Poles, Monti Ossenfort, and Glenn Cook. I prefer on-the-ground scouting experience over analytics. I understand that analytics can be very important in building a football team. I just prefer that the top shot-caller be on the scouting and talent evaluation side of things. 

The Vikings plan to hire a general manager before they hire the head coach. That makes sense as the general manager should be part of the search for the head coach. That hasn’t stopped the Vikings from requesting interviews with some head coach candidates. Several interview requests were reported yesterday.

The Head Coach Candidates

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator

Nathaniel Hackett, Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator

Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator 

DeMeco Ryans, San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator

Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator 

Jonathan Gannon, Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator

Kevin O’Connell, Los Angeles Rams Offensive Coordinator

All of the above candidates are coaching in the playoffs. Despite being without their general manager, the interview with Nathaniel Hackett will reportedly take place today. Since the Packers have a first round bye, he’s eligible to interview with teams through the end of this weekend. The remaining six candidates are able to interview with other teams after the first round of the playoffs. 

Todd Bowles and Dan Quinn were in the running for the Vikings head coach job in 2014. Bowles was set for a second interview before Mike Zimmer was hired. 

Jonathan Gannon was an assistant defensive backs coach for Zimmer from 2014-17. 

I’ll feel better about the Vikings head coach candidates when Byron Leftwich and Eric Bieniemy are added to the list. Maybe Brian Daboll and Patrick Graham as well. 

In a few weeks, the Vikings will be hiring the ninth head coach on my watch. Bud Grant was the incumbent when I found the Vikings as an itty-bitty fan of football. Surprisingly, this is only the fourth head coach search. Twice, the Vikings hired from within. Les Steckel was disastrously promoted in 1984. Jerry Burns was deservedly promoted in 1986. Grant came out of retirement to settle things during the 1985 season. Twice, the Vikings hired their interim head coaches. Mike Tice replaced Dennis Green at the end of the 2001 season. Tice was given the full-time gig after the season. Leslie Frazier replaced Brad Childress during the very strange 2010 season. Frazier was given the full-time gig after the season. Since the 1960s, the Vikings have conducted only four head coach searches.

1992: Dennis Green

2006: Brad Childress

2014: Mike Zimmer

2022: ?

The Wilf family has presided over three of those searches. It’s best to have patience. I often have trouble being patient. I want these sort of things to just get done. Getting the general manager and head coach hires right is the most important thing. Patience. 

Flea Flicker Wild Card Predictions

Here are guesses at the outcome of this weekend’s Wild Card games. 

Las Vegas Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: Bengals

Speaking of Wild Card picks, I see the Bengals as a wild card for the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills

Pick: Bills

It’s difficult to pick against Bill Belichick in the playoffs but the Bills are the better team. I do think that the Bills have to play much better than they have this season to get where they have the talent to get. 

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: Eagles

I wouldn’t be surprised if a team knocks off the defending champs but I don’t think that team is the Eagles.

San Francisco 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys

Pick: Cowboys

This might be the best matchup of the weekend. The Cowboys are the more talented team but they don’t always play to that talent. 

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Chiefs

I’d be surprised if this game is close. 

Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams

Pick: Cardinals

This is just a hunch. I don’t think that either team enters the playoffs playing their best. 

Flea Flicker 2021 All-Pro Team

While we wait for any news on the Minnesota Vikings general manager and head coach search, here’s a look at some of the best players of the 2021 NFL season. 

2021 All-Pro Team

Offense

Quarterback

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Fullback

C.J. Ham, Minnesota Vikings

Wide Receivers

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Flex

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

Offensive Tackles

Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers

Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offensive Guards

Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs

Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys

Center

Ryan Jensen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Defense

Defensive Ends

Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns

Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Defensive Tackles

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams

Vita Vea, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Linebackers

T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

Roquan Smith, Chicago Bears

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

Cornerbacks

Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams

J.C. Jackson, New England Patriots

Safeties

Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills

Justin Simmons, Denver Broncos

Special Teams

Kicker

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens 

Punter

Bryan Anger, Dallas Cowboys

Kick Returner

Kene Nwangwu, Minnesota Vikings

Punt Returner

Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens

Some Minnesota Vikings Bookkeeping

The 2021 Minnesota Vikings season was one of the most frustrating in memory. The disappointing games are in the books and in the past. They also resulted in Monday’s firings of general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer. Lost in those high profile happenings was some of the usual end-of-season bookkeeping. That includes little things like draft position, next year’s opponents, and the signing of players to reserve/future contracts.

Draft Stuff

The Minnesota Vikings hold the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

1.   Jacksonville Jaguars

2.   Detroit Lions

3.   Houston Texans

4.   New York Jets

5.   New York Giants

6.   Carolina Panthers

7.   New York Giants

8.   Atlanta Falcons

9.   Denver Broncos

10. New York Jets

11. Washington Football Team

12. Minnesota Vikings

13. Cleveland Browns

14. Baltimore Ravens

15. Philadelphia Eagles

16. Philadelphia Eagles

17. Los Angeles Chargers

18. New Orleans Saints

With two picks apiece in the Top 10, the New York clubs will control the top of the draft. 

The Vikings currently hold eight picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Round 1 (12)

Round 2

Round 3

Round 5 (from Ravens)

Round 6

Round 6 (from Chiefs)

Round 6 (from Jets)

Round 7 (from Broncos)

-The Vikings fourth round pick was traded to the Jets for tight end Chris Herndon. The Vikings also received a sixth round pick from the Jets in the deal.

-The Vikings received a fifth round pick from the Ravens in a trade for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

-The Vikings traded a fifth round pick to the Jaguars for Ngakoue.

-The Vikings received a sixth round pick from the Chiefs in a trade for cornerback Mike Hughes. The Vikings also sent their seventh round pick to the Chiefs as part of the deal. 

-The Vikings received a seventh round pick from the Broncos for defensive end Stephen Weatherly.

Minnesota Vikings 2022 Opponents

Home

Chicago

Detroit

Green Bay

Dallas

New York Giants

Arizona

New England

New York Jets

Indianapolis

Away

Chicago 

Detroit

Green Bay

Philadelphia

Washington

New Orleans

Buffalo

Miami

Reserve/Future Contracts

The Vikings signed the following players to reserve/future contracts.

Tuf Borland, LB

Myles Dorn, S

Kyle Hinton, OG

Trishton Jackson, WR

Myron Mitchell, WR

Parry Nickerson, CB

Timon Parris, OT

A.J. Rose Jr., RB

T.J. Smith, DT

Finally, I found this strange, little nugget of trivia from Vikings.com’s Eric Smith on Twitter.

The Vikings have played the Ravens seven times in franchise history. 

In the three years that they defeated the Ravens (‘98, ‘09 & ‘17), the Vikings went to the NFC title game.

In the four years that they lost to the Ravens (‘01, ‘05, ‘13 & ‘21), the Vikings fired their head coach. 

Very strange.

Now, it’s back to the general manager and head coach watch. 

Minnesota Vikings General Manager and Head Coach Wish List

After Monday’s firings of head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman, the Minnesota Vikings are kicking off an offseason of transition. Zygi and Mark Wilf are conducting their third external coaching search and their first real external general manager search. The general manager search is up first. It’s expected that the Vikings initial GM targets will be revealed today through interview requests. It’s difficult to know of or know much about the people across the league that anonymously work in the football decision-making process. Former GMs are the best known but they are former GMs for a reason. For me, right now, it’s the scouting grunts that probably make the best candidates. When looking for skilled talent-evaluators, a good place to start is with the teams that annually draft well. Here are some of the candidates that currently intrigue me the most.

General Manager Wish List

Ed Dobbs, Indianapolis Colts, Assistant General Manager

Mike Borgonzi, Kansas City Chiefs, Assistant General Manager

Will McClay, Dallas Cowboys, Vice President of Player Personnel

Brandon Brown, Philadelphia Eagles, Director of Player Personnel

It’s a short list but I believe it’s a high quality list. Ed Dobbs and Mike Borgonzi are my easy favorites. I like their experience and I believe that both are ready to run their own team. I’d be thrilled with either. Borgonzi probably has the edge. He might have the edge for no other reason than his name. “Borgonzi.” It’s a versatile name. It can be an exclamation, a verb, adjective, anything. It’s fantastic. Borgonzi!

I’ve been curious about Will McClay for a while. For years, I believe that teams have tried to pry him from the Cowboys but his loyalty to the Jones family appears strong. In Dallas, he’ll forever have one or more of the Joneses over his shoulder. He’s never been the top decision-maker for the Cowboys and he never will be. The opportunity to be that for a team should be appealing. At least one would think that it’d be appealing. 

Brandon Brown is the least experienced of the four. That lack of experience makes him the biggest gamble  but he’d be an intriguing gamble. 

Head Coach Wish List

Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Offensive Coordinator

Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City Chiefs, Offensive Coordinator

Brian Daboll, Buffalo Bills, Offensive Coordinator

Matt Eberflus, Indianapolis Colts, Defensive Coordinator

Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots, Inside Linebackers Coach

There are a few others (Kellen Moore, Doug Pederson, Brian Flores, Todd Bowles) but the above five most frequently occupy my coaching thoughts. I’ve long favored defensive-minded coaches. Those coaches just seem to run closer to the way I see football. More chess match than explosive. After eight years of a revolving-door of offensive coordinators in Minnesota, I’m looking at things a little differently. If a team has any offensive success, their offensive coaches are soon head coaches of another team. The Vikings saw that happen with Pat Shurmur and Kevin Stefanski. They probably would’ve seen it happen with Gary Kubiak if he wasn’t already at the end of his coaching career. The NFL is too quarterback-centric to annually force a new offensive way on a player and team. If a team’s head coach is essentially the offensive coordinator the system will continue. History has shown that a close working relationship between a head coach and quarterback can be a good thing. Stability between the two is a very good thing. After six offensive coordinators in eight years, guaranteed consistency on the offensive side of the ball puts offensive coordinators on the top of my head coach wish list. 

When the Vikings were looking for a new head coach in 2014, Mike Zimmer was my early and only favorite. Todd Bowles, Dan Quinn, anyone other than Zimmer would’ve been a serious disappointment. It’s not like I would’ve turned my back on the team but it was Zimmer or bust for me. With this coaching search, I have no clear favorite. Most of my thoughts on a potential Vikings head coach often drift toward Byron Leftwich. His coaching rise has been swift and impressive. Sure, it helps that he’s called plays for Tom Brady the last two years. His work with Jameis Winston might be a greater indication of his scheming potential. I became even more impressed with Leftwich after a podcast interview. He sounded like a man and coach that was ready to be a head coach. Since his days as the Vikings running backs coach I’ve liked Eric Bieniemy. My one concern is his lack of play-calling duties in Kansas City. His situation with Andy Reid reminds me too much of Brad Childress. Brian Daboll and Matt Eberflus have impressed me as coordinators. I feel good about them. I like what they’ve done with their respective teams. I just feel like they are more of an unknown than Leftwich and Bieniemy. Jerod Mayo is the wild card of the above coaches. There’s something about him that reminds me of Mike Tomlin. Just like I felt about Tomlin in 2007, I don’t think that Mayo is ready to be a head coach. Just like Tomlin in 2007, Mayo might actually be ready to be a head coach. I’m certain that Jerod Mayo will be an NFL head coach soon. 

If I had to pick my top Minnesota Vikings GM/Head Coach combo, I’m probably leaning this way:

Mike Borgonzi

Byron Leftwich

I can’t wait to see where the searches lead. Skol!